Derrick Turnbow Rumors

Yorvit Torrealba could end up with the Giants, according to Chris Haft of MLB.com. However, Torrealba may prefer to wait until after the weekend to sign with any club as his Venezuelan Winter League team is still active in the postseason.

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweets that in addition to Matt Kemp, the Dodgers are talking about multiyear deals with Jonathan Broxton and Andre Ethier.

Carlos Beltran will have to refrain from baseball activities for twelve weeks after having his knee scoped, according to a Mets press release passed along by MetsBlog. The story was first reported by the New York Post's Joel Sherman (via Twitter). If all goes well with his rehabilitation, the center fielder should only miss a small amount of games to start the year.

Free agent lefty Doug Davis is attracting interest from four teams, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Twins, Brewers, Mets, and Nationals are all interested in the 34-year-old, who posted a 4.22 ERA with 6.7 K/9 over the last three years in Arizona.

If the Nats are able to sign Orlando Hudson or Adam Kennedy to play second base, Cristian Guzman and his $8MM salary are unlikely to be moved elsewhere, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Guzman would remain at shortstop, where his agent insists that he is still valuable despite shoulder surgery.

Pittsburgh's signing of Ryan Church could pay huge dividends for the club, says ESPN's Rob Neyer. If Church is healthy and generates interest from other clubs, the Pirates will be able to move him for a more valuable commodity.

According to Jamey Newberg of TheNewbergReport.com, the Rangers have released Derrick Turnbow after the pitcher triggered a clause in his contract that allowed him to demand a release. Turnbow and the Rangers agreed that he would be able to ask for his release if he wasn't on the team by May 1st. Turnbow walked nine and allowed 11 hits in 6.1 innings in AAA, striking out one batter.

Also, having unloaded Jeff Keppinger, the Reds are looking for utility infield help. One person of interest is Rangers shortstop Joaquin Arias. Arias, who came to Texas in the Alex Rodriguez trade, has strong defensive tools and may yet establish himself as a regular according to Baseball America.

In another post, Sullivan says reliever Derrick Turnbow has decided to accept his assignment to Triple A Oklahoma.

In talking to Ramona Shelburne of the L.A. Daily News, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti explained his success reading the market this offseason. He also said, "I believe there will be some players available on July 31st that normally would never be available."

Ken Davidoff of Newsday reminds us of past trade discussions involving Kevin Youkilis, before he was highly regarded.

Baseball America's Jim Callis notes that the Cubs released "three of their top picks from the last six drafts this spring: outfielder Ryan Harvey, the sixth overall pick in 2003; righthander Grant Johnson, a second-rounder in 2004; and lefty Mark Pawelek, the 20th overall choice in 2005."

MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan adds that the Rangers signed righthanded pitcher Casey Daigle to a minor league contract. Daigle, 27, had an ERA of 3.78 in 44 AAA games this year. He last pitched in the majors in 2006.

The Rangers also retainedElizardo Ramirez, who pitched for them once last year, with a minor league deal.

Turnbow was also targeted by the Marlins and Pirates, but chose Texas in the end because of his relationship with pitching coach Mike Maddux. Turnbow will make $925,000 if he makes the major league club out of spring training. The contract also carries $325,000 in performance incentives. The 31-year-old right-hander last pitched effectively in 2007, when he posted a 4.63 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 68 innings.

Derrick Turnbow is at the top of the list with pitching coach Mike Maddux leading the charge. The two worked together a few years ago in Milwaukee. The Marlins and Pirates are also thought to have interest.

The Rangers are also investigating closers Chad Cordero and Jason Isringhausen, both free agents. As Sullivan points out, the Rangers like to target low-cost, high-reward relievers. Some would call them reclamation projects.

Right-hander Guillermo Mota is also on the team’s list. The 35-year-old had a 4.11 ERA for the Brewers last year.

Ken Davidoff looks at the impact Mark Teixeira‘s decision will have on six teams. Amazing how one deal will shape so many teams’ plans.

Buster Olney writes that many players are going to make much less than expected in 2009, including Manny Ramirez. In that same blog post, Olney notes that his colleague Jerry Crasnick says the Angels’ signing of Juan Rivera takes them out of the market for Manny.

Jon Paul Morosi talked to Turnbow’s agent Damon Lapa, who said the Tigers called him this week to reaffirm their interest. The Tigers have Turnbow’s medical records (he dealt with a slight labrum tear this year). Lapa expects his client to sign somewhere by the end of the year.

According to Morosi, the Pirates, Marlins, Rays, Rangers, and Phillies have also shown interest in Turnbow. The last three are new, while the Rockies and Giants have been linked to Turnbow in the past as well.

King was on the Nationals’ Opening Day roster, but only spent 12 games with the Nats before heading to Triple A (with the affiliates of the White Sox and the Astros). Though his major league ERA has been (well) over 4.00 since 2005, in 32 games with Houston’s AAA Round Rock Express he posted a 2.25 ERA.